Rioja, Wine and Passion

I am writing these few lines when 2014 is coming to an end. After several years of hard work, and the pleasure of trying many Rioja wines, this project is coming to an end. I wanted to do something different, something that would help wine lovers to know more about the Rioja wines, but especially about the wineries, because although the soil and terroir are crucial for good wine, it is equally important the people behind; some wineries belong to huge groups focus on profit, while many are small and medium size wineries which are run by families generation after generation. It is also important to see the countryside, many of you, my lovely readers, may never be able to visit the beautiful landscapes od Rioja, but I bringing you lots of pictures to give you an idea. In this book I have covered: - All the Rioja DOCa registered wineries, which are almost 600. - History about Rioja and the wine. - Rioja with the different production sub areas, climate and weather. - The different grape varieties you can find in Rioja - The official classification of the wines, and what do they mean to you. - Wine making and styles. - The vintage classification - My favourite Rioja wines (just a few). - Over 450 photographs. With the exception of my favourite wines by price at the end of the book, I have covered no other wines, why? I wanted this book to be educational while fun, and rather than providing a list of wine reviews (there are already many books covering this), I wanted to share with you information about Rioja, its wines, its people and their passion, generation after generation, to make some unique wines. I have thoroughly visited Rioja and many of the wineries, but not all. I have interview winemakers, family members, etc and I have tried to reflect with their own words, what is their winery and wines about. As a result you will find in several winery descriptions, that they consider their area to be exceptional, and it is for them, so I have respected their views, mostly because they tend to be right: It does not matter how many wineries I visit I have always been treated fantastically, by kind generous people, another characteristic of Rioja. I wanted to finish this introduction by thanking again to all those wineries, that even though being very busy (some of them even liaised with me during harvest time), they found the time to speak to me, send me information, send me photographs, and sometimes, share a few glasses of wine together.